Thank you Pam and Rachel for your consideration of what affects change in
the U.S.  You both have my mind stretching and reflecting.

Those of you from countries other than the U.S. may forget that artificial
feeding of infants began here long before it did in other countries. And
the negative consequences have become "normal" to the American eye.

"I was formula fed( or evaporated milk, corn syrup, and water fed) and I
turned out fine." This is said as the person speaking reaches for her 8
medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, allergy,
sinus pain, anemia (from intestinal bleeding due to dairy allergy),
recurrent stroke prevention, and the meds for treating the side effects of
the other drugs.

The increased risk of ear infections and diarrhea (considered "normal" for
infants) with formula feeding are not going  to gain the attention of
American parents.  Americans don't want their choices to affect their
health; they prefer to take a pill to cover it.

It is very hard to convince Americans, including the medical profession,
that our excessive need for drugs to sustain us as adults have anything to
do with our feeding as infants. A couple of years ago someone was studying
the Japanese and their level of health. They looked at diet, going as far
back as the diets of the young children. What foods did they feed their
growing children?  It never entered the researchers minds that an infant
has a "diet" too.

Diet, at any age, affecting health is an anathema to the American mind.
Americans, as a whole, are also resistant making changes that impact the
future.  We want quick fixes. So...formula raises the risk of ear
infections, we have abx. So... it raises the risk of diabetes, we have
insulin. So... it raises the risk of heart disease, we have excellent
surgeries and a myriad of drugs for that.  So...it raises the risk of high
blood pressure, we have many HBP medications. So... it raises the risk of
obesity, we have drugs that block the absorption of fats.

One of my favorite health quotations is "A healthy old age begins NOW."
Whenever that *now* is. To improve breastfeeding outcomes so that infants
will grow into healthier adults just doesn't compute.  There has not been
enough information offered in a scientific manner that feeding at my
mother's breast for "quite a while" as an infant impacts my life-long health.

So we now have the National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign as approved by
the formula industry and their friends in high places. I do wonder what
effect it will have.

After reading Chris Mulford's post on implants, my thoughts seem feeble.
Where does one begin in the health education of  the U.S.?

Patricia Gima, IBCLC
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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